


Roommates

by ouranose



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: And anxiety, Damen likes to cook, Friends to Lovers, He's got a whole recipe book that he built up, His mom probably taught him when he was growing up, Laurent has nightmares, M/M, Modern AU, Oh my god they were roommates!, Strangers to Friends, The story isn't necessarily in order, They don't like each other at first but they kind of grow on each other, roommates au, snapshot fic, tags will be updated as the story is updated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22297366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ouranose/pseuds/ouranose
Summary: A glimpse into the lives of two adults who decide to live together for necessity rather than actual interest. While their lives move forward, so too does their relationship. As with any person, they both experience their ups and downs and struggle to figure out a comfortable rhythm to living together.
Relationships: Damen & Laurent (Captive Prince), Damen & Nikandros (Captive Prince), Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince), Jord & Laurent (Captive Prince)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. The Perks of Having a Roommate

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This fic is something I was very excited to start writing. I know getting into a set schedule for stories is ideal and it keeps people's interest in it piqued - but I've never been very good at doing that. I'm going to post what I've got, and update it whenever I have an opportunity to write for it! It's not in order, so it kind of jumps around their timeline quite a bit, but I think it'll be easy enough to identify the length of time they've been around one another based on the way they interact! 
> 
> In any case, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy the story and are interested enough to keep reading :)

People don’t get roommates to _explore a new part of life_ . They don’t do it _to forge strong relationships_ or _cement a support system for their adult life_. Once you get out of college, the novelty of living with another human being that isn’t in your family wears off and you’re left with nothing but necessity. Maybe it’s because your salary isn’t enough to cover bills on your own, or maybe you just can’t live alone for fear of being alone.

At least, such was the case for Laurent and Damen. 

They were a prime example of two of the many different kinds of people that exist in the world. On the one hand, there was Damen, who had taken one look at Laurent and immediately fell a little bit in love. He had pretty blue eyes, and his blond hair was clean and pushed away from his face. His lips were turned down in an attractive pout and his lashes cast a shadow against his fine cheekbones. On the other, as soon as Laurent saw Damen’s open and warm expression, he quietly pondered whether living here was going to be beneficial in the grand scheme of this game of logic he was playing with his uncle. 

It took all of two minutes in shared company for them to realize their first impressions were off. Damen was a lot smarter than he’d seemed to be, and Laurent had an edge to him - like a blade concealed until the danger is imminent. 

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you, my name is Damen.” He extended a hand to Laurent. 

Laurent’s icy gaze landed on it in distaste, and he replied coolly, “Laurent. Pleasure.” 

It was the sort of forced civility that normally made Damen’s skin crawl. The sort that let you know that someone was capable of the bare minimum amount of niceties and probably not much more. But he was intrigued, and maybe it was because he was attracted to Laurent, but it felt like more than that. Laurent seemed like _more_ than that. 

The apartment would be ready to move in sometime in the next week or so, and Damen could let him know when that was, if he was interested. That sounds acceptable, thank you very much. They shook on it, and finished the rest of the technical things that go into moving into a new apartment without having to sign a lease and Laurent left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://ouranose.tumblr.com) | [twitter](http://twitter.com/_allidavis)


	2. Dreams in D Minor - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurent has a nightmare.

The first time Damen heard Laurent have a nightmare, he was woken up from a heavy sleep. There had been a noise though, his sleep-addled brain explained, a scream. Someone could be hurt or in trouble. But his limbs didn’t seem to understand the urgency; they didn’t move. He listened in, straining hard to hear if there was any other noise. He heard what sounded like a sniffle, and then the sound of feet shuffling against the wooden floor. 

The exigency of the situation took a back burner in his mind, and soon he was already on the thin line between awake and asleep. As he drifted toward sleep, his ears strained to hear more. _Just in case,_ he thought. That was the last thought he had.

Damen woke with a start when his alarm went off, the sound echoing off of the walls of his room. He opened his eyes reluctantly, not ready to see the sun peeking through his blinds. His body moved slowly as he rolled out of bed, still heavy with sleep and something else. As he rolled his legs towards the edge of the bed, he let his mind wander - searching for what was making him feel so on edge. Then he remembered, with a jolt of anxiety, the scream. Standing quickly, Damen stomped through his door, his feet moving him as fast as a pair of just-woken-up limbs could. 

Laurent was on the couch, a blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders. His face was imperceptible, a study in focus. Lips pursed and brows drawn together, he was watching something on the television intently. When he heard Damen step into the room, he threw him a lazy nod - a step up from the normally non-existent greeting he was used to. There was a fresh cup of coffee resting on one of his knees, the steam still rising.

It was - strange. 

Laurent normally left before Damen was even awake. _Maybe he’s just got the day off_ , Damen thought. He let his eyes wander up and down his roommate, just a quick once over. Laurent didn’t take days off - he made himself busy as often as possible. His assessment told him nothing beyond the fact that Laurent looked about as out of it as he was acting. He just seemed off.

Damen made himself a cup of coffee from the pot that was still warm and took a seat beside him. The show on the television was some documentary about animals. On the screen currently was a komodo dragon taking bites out of a buffalo. Damen found these shows just as intriguing as Laurent did - just normally not at seven in the morning. 

“What are we watching?” He asked, wondering if Laurent would give him an answer. 

“Life.” He mumbled. 

Damen watched the show until he finished his coffee, and then he made his way back to his room. It happened, he knew. Sometimes people had nightmares. He had nightmares every now and then, and although his weren’t _skip-work-bad_ , they could still leave him shaken for a few hours afterward. Laurent just dealt with his differently. 

As he buttoned his shirt over his chest, he poked his head out. From this angle, he could _just_ see one of Laurent’s knees poking out from beneath the blanket. He’d moved his coffee from his lap to the table in front of him at some point. Damen tried to think back to remember if he’d ever seen him drink from it. 

“I’m gonna grab some sushi for dinner,” he called, raising his voice a tad to make sure that Laurent could hear him, “do you want anything?” 

He didn’t hear a response, so he figured that meant he didn’t. Damen made a mental note to get an extra California roll, just in case. He pulled his socks over his feet and walked back out to the living room. Laurent was still watching the show, his head leaning back enough to make his lids look heavy over his eyes. 

Without another word, Damen plucked his keys off the hook by the door and headed out. 

* * *

When Damen got back from work, he knew something was wrong. 

Laurent was in the same place on the couch, his eyes fixed to the same spot on the TV, except now the screen was black. The blanket around his shoulders had slid down, exposing his long neck to the chilly air of the apartment. His coffee, now cold, sat untouched in front of him. It was as if he’d seen a ghost; his eyes were glossed over and the dark circles under them looked almost like bruises in the dim evening light. 

“Are you hungry?” Damen asked, narrowing his eyes a bit. He was starting to get concerned, even if he knew it wasn’t in his best interest. “How was your day?” He had taken a few steps into the apartment, the bag of takeout sushi hanging by his side. Laurent was unresponsive. It was bizarre to the point that Damen had to do a double-take to make sure he was breathing. 

Thankfully, as his eyes landed on Laurent, he moved. It was only a small movement, probably a shift to make himself more comfortable. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on top of them. Damen parked the bag from his hand onto the counter beside the fridge and hesitantly approached Laurent. 

He doesn’t move or acknowledge his presence. Damen sat down on the edge of the coffee table, moving the cup of coffee slightly away from him so that he could be right in front of Laurent.

“Laurent,” he whispers, “how long has it been since you’ve gotten a decent night’s sleep?” 

The words seem to reach him, although very slowly. His brows furrowed and his upper lip pulls up just a bit in the corner. He rolls his eyes, seeming to come back to reality all at once, “At least five years, maybe ten.” He stands up, discomfort rolling off of him in waves, and shoves past Damen, avoiding any physical touch by stretching his lithe muscles around him. 

He stopped at the kitchen just long enough to ask, “Do you by any chance have any extra food?” 

“I do,” Damen says, still sitting on the table. He turned his head to watch Laurent, though. A part of his brain said _it’s to make sure he’s alright_. He thought that was probably right, even if his eyes followed the languorous way that he walked, his limbs seeming heavy. 

“I’ll pay you back,” Laurent said, sorting out which container was which. 

“It’s not a big deal.” Damen sighed, walking over to help him. He gave Laurent the sushi he’d gotten specifically for him - and an expression crossed over Laurent’s face, although Damen couldn’t figure out what exactly it was. 

“I know it’s not,” Laurent mumbles, rolling his eyes. 

He ends up slipping the money into Damen’s room later that night anyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://ouranose.tumblr.com) | [twitter](http://twitter.com/_allidavis)

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](ouranose.tumblr.com) | [twitter](twitter.com/_allidavis)


End file.
